Check out NDM’s and then follow the link to sign the petition.

Now there’s a sign of spring!

My last post garnered some interesting comments around the issue of medicating one’s mental state. The picture on the left is a variety cover that I did for the Strib back when I was on the features design staff in 1990. It’s the only newspaper peice that’s on display in the house. There’s a reason for that. The article is about the relationship between insanity and creativity. The illustration is a self portrait, although my hair was never that red. But it gives it kind of a Vincent thing, no? I’ve always felt like I was walking the razor’s edge of sanity. And I’ve always wondered if the same engine that drove the madness drove the creativity. It took me 53 years to find out that my anxiety, anger, hypochondria and sleeplessness could be ameliorated with medication. I know some people aren’t so lucky, but it works for me. But that bring up the question, if I modify the engine to run more smoothly, will it still provide the horsepower to drive the wheels of my imagination?
At the moment I’m coming to terms with the idea that I’ve not only been depressed, but that I’ve had some form of ADD for all this time. One of things that has always gotten in the way of my career as an artist is that I have a bitch of a time sitting still for the long periods of time required to render out an idea. That’s one reason my niche as a quick spot cartoon guy was perfect. When I was one of the production folks in my current job, I was very low in the productivity measurements. Part of that was because of all the time I spent helping other people solve technical problems and investigating problems for the then managers who were clueless about graphics software. But it was mostly about being bored as hell and not being able to keep my ass in my chair. I got promoted basically on good looks and charm. But now I’m thinking of adding yet another med to my list. I have a good friend who just was diagnosed as an adult with ADD and he says that the change was miraculous when he started taking meds for it. Would I start finishing projects, instead of letting them die after the excitement of a new idea wore off? Would the meds dam up the river of imagination. And most important of all, would I still be able to get wood?